The election has officially begun, with early in-person voting now officially starting in Arizona.
Rumor has it that Fox News is already getting ready to call the state…
At a glance:
- Arizona kicks off early in-person voting, with both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump planning campaign stops in the state.
- Arizona’s two-page-long ballot has voters encouraged to cast early votes to help speed up election result reporting.
- Early voting is highly popular in Arizona, where about 80% of voters submitted ballots early in the 2020 election.
Early in-person voting began on Wednesday in Arizona, making it the first of this year’s critical battleground states to open its doors for voters ahead of Election Day. The state’s residents are now able to cast their ballots at traditional polling locations, with Arizona once again playing a pivotal role in the upcoming presidential election.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes visited a voting center in suburban Phoenix and urged voters to vote early, especially as this year’s ballots are notably long. “Early voting also helps us get our results in earlier,” Fontes stated, referring to the delays often experienced in counting ballots. By voting early, he said, Arizonans can contribute to quicker election result tallies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCt2kAoguQM
At the same site, voters expressed their thoughts on the election. Cathy Koukal, a 72-year-old retiree, enthusiastically cast her ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris. She cited Harris’ policies and her opposition to Donald Trump as the reasons for her vote. In contrast, Frank Spencer, 77, also voted early, casting his ballot for Trump, even though he’s a registered Democrat. Spencer expressed confidence in Trump’s ability to “get us out of the junk we’re in,” referencing the current administration’s policies.
Both major candidates are making their presence felt in Arizona, with Vice President Harris scheduled to hold a rally in Phoenix and Donald Trump set to host an event in Prescott Valley, a Republican stronghold. Their campaign stops coincide with Arizona’s early voting period, underlining the state’s significance in the 2024 election.
Arizona played a decisive role in the 2020 election, where President Joe Biden narrowly defeated Trump by just over 10,000 votes. This close result has fueled ongoing conspiracy theories and misinformation, leading to increased security measures at polling places, especially in Maricopa County, which includes the Phoenix area. Some schools have even declined to serve as polling locations due to concerns over safety.
Early voting in Arizona has always been popular, particularly by mail, with nearly 80% of voters submitting their ballots early in the 2020 election. Each of Arizona’s 15 counties will operate at least one in-person voting site, with more voting centers available in highly populated areas like Maricopa County. Early in-person voting continues through the Friday before the Nov. 5 general election.
Now the question is…is the vote safe? Will there be chain of custody issues? And have the Republicans done enough to secure the vote?